Leaving a loaded AR magazine will damage it, RIGHT??

[dfariswheel]

WRONG.
About 22 years ago I fully loaded a 30 round Okay Industries military surplus magazine and put it in my gun case with my old AR-15 Carbine, "just in case".

Today I took my new Colt M4 LE6920 to the range and decided the magazine had sat long enough if the spring was going to weaken or the lips spread, it would have happened by now.

It fired the entire 30 rounds perfectly with no problems at all. This leads me to believe that modern American made magazines don't deteriorate if left loaded long term.

The new Colt had only one stoppage, and that was a failure to fire. The round required some hard pulling to open the bolt, and there was no firing pin strike on the primer.
Re-chambered, it fired.
Since the round was an OLD reload, I wrote that one off to a slightly defective reload.

 

[Rubber_Duck]

It's funny how common this myth still is.

 

[rcmodel]

About 22 years ago

Is that all?

I have several GI 30-rounders that have been loaded with 29 rounds since I stole them in 1970 and they still work perfectly.

rc

 

[dfariswheel]

If they've been loaded since 1970, how do you know they work perfectly??

 

[RetiredUSNChief]

Paper weights don't need much in the line of moving parts...

 

[nathan]

As long they are stored in a controlled environment and not exposed to humidity and the like or else the springs corrode. With new silicone coated mag springs , that greatly enhanced the longevity .

 

[Scooter22]

Thats not necisarily true. You have a milspec quality mag. Factory and milspec mags do last. But theres a few after market mag makers out there that are crap. They don't feed right out of the package. So to just say you had one AR mag work doesn,t mean they all will. You have to concider the good and the bad. Just being the DA I would rotate loaded mags every 6 months. JMHO

 

[preachnhunt]

Don't forget according to one of our esteemed leaders once you use that mag its gone.

 

[dwstone1227]

Thanks for the information. I doubt I have 22 years left in me to repeat your test. Gotta go load my magazines asap now.

 

[freewheeling]

Don't forget according to one of our esteemed leaders once you use that mag its gone.

So they're going to stop selling the pre-loaded disposable magazines? Better stock up!

 

[morcey2]

So there going to stop selling the pre-loaded disposable magazines? Better stock up!

Great! Something else I've got to start hoarding.

 

[788Ham]

rc, thats a baited question, don't answer it ! They haven't failed yet huh rc? Let him prove they have. lol

 

[rcmodel]

rc, thats a baited question, don't answer it !

Thanks for the advice.

Don't plan too answer it!

I don't need too!

rc

 

[OcelotZ3]

My dad had left some AR mags (Colt original GI) loaded for over 30 years. When he died and I inherited the rifle, I used them and they worked (and still work) just fine.

 

[Billy Jack]

Based on "esteemed leader's" comment we have a real problem here.

If you pull the rounds out of the magazine to "save the spring tension" you have USED the mag and it is no longer functional....so why did you need to save the tension on the spring on a mag that is no longer useable anyway?

 

[beatledog7]

Don't forget according to one of our esteemed leaders once you use that mag its gone.

Indeed. Might as well load them all the way.